"Consumer Reports" - Unemployment rose in 90 percent of U.S. cities in June
August 4, 2011 Consumer Reports, Aug 3, 2011 6:45 PM
http://news.consumerreports.org/money/2011/08/unemployment-rose-in-nearly-all-us-cities-in-june.html
Unemployment rates rose in more than 90 percent of U.S. cities in June, according to a report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Unemployment rose in 345 large metro areas during the month, according to the report. Rates dropped in 20 cities, and remained steady in seven.
The national unemployment rate increased in June to 9.2 percent.
The statistics show a drastic change in unemployment rates in recent months. In May, unemployment rates rose in only 210 cities. In April, rates decreased in nearly all metro areas.
In June, employers added just 18,000 jobs, the lowest number in nine months. It was also a sharp decrease from the average of 215,000 jobs that were added in February, March, and April.
Many of the highest unemployment rates were seen in metro areas that are college towns. Champaign-Urbana, Ill., the home of the University of Illinois, saw its unemployment rate rise from 6.9 percent in May to 9.6 percent in June. College towns in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico reported similar increases.
California was the state that suffered the most in June—11 of the 12 metro areas that reported unemployment rates of more than 15 percent were in California. El Centro, Calif., had the highest unemployment rate in the country at 28.5 percent.
In contrast, the lowest unemployment rate in America belonged to Bismarck, N.D., at 3.6 percent.
The report is consistent with what was shown in the July Consumer Reports Index, which found that many Americans are still pessimistic about the economy amid high unemployment rates and a stalled jobs market.
Sources:
Metropolitan employment and unemployment report [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]
